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User blog:Pygmy Hippo 2/Zulu Impi vs. Iberian Caetrati
African warriors don't seem to get as much attention as ones from Europe, Asia, and even North America with three possible exceptions. Egypt, Carthage, and the Zulus but we're looking at the last two's most famous leaders today and more specifically, what infantry they used to forge their legacies with. Whether they were members of their own people or mercenaries, these two tribal warriors had similar weapon sets that they used against the greatest empire of their time. The Zulu Impi, King Shaka's loyal soldiers who used his tactics to great success after his death against the British! The Iberian Caetrati, General Hannibal's skilled mercenaries who used underhanded tactics to dominate the Romans! Zulu Impi "Up! Children of Zulu, your day has come. Up! And destroy them all."-King Shaka Primary Combo:Iklwa and Isihlangu The Zulu's short spear is 41 inches long, weighs 0.9 pounds, is made out of iron and wood, it was capable of thrusting and slashing, and was personally created by Shaka. The Zulu's shield is 20 inches wide, weighs 3 pounds, is made out of wood and ox-hide, could deflect glancing blows, and hook enemy's shields away or knock them off balance. Throwing Spear:Assegai The Zulu's light spear can be thrown 60 meters away, is 67 inches long, weighs 1.7 pounds, is made out of iron and wood, and despite being used as a mostly ranged weapon, it could be used for melee combat to stab enemies who got too close. Blunt Range:Iwisa The Zulu's throwing club can be thrown at long range, is 31 inches long, weighs 1 pound, is made out of African hardwood, and could be used for clubbing heads at melee distance. Secondary Melee:Zulu Axe The Zulu's battle axe is 32 inches long, weighs 2.5 pounds, is made out of iron and wood, and has a half-moon shaped blade for hooking shields and weapons away and the handle could be used for blocking. Iberian Caetrati "God has given to man no sharper spur to victory than contempt of death."-General Hannibal Primary Combo:Falcata and Caetra The Iberian's curved sword is 26 inches long, weighs 2.5 pounds, is made out of iron and bronze, it was capable of slashing and stabbing, and was personally prized by Hannibal. The Iberian's shield is 12 inches wide, weighs 6.6 pounds, is made out of wood, bronze, and leather, could block swords, spears, and arrows, and had a boss for punching enemies. Throwing Spear:Soliferrum The Iberian's heavy javelin can be thrown 30 meters away, is 78 inches long, weighs 7 pounds, is made completely out of iron, and had moldings to keep it in the user's grip before being thrown to penetrate armor and shields with hooks. Blunt Range:Sling The Iberian's projectile weapon has a range of 400 meters, 1.4 inch long stone bullets that weigh 0.1 pounds, is made out of flax and leather, and could rival ancient bows in combat. Secondary Melee:Gladius Hispaniensis The Iberian's short sword is 33 inches long, weighs 1.9 pounds, is made out of iron and wood, and had a leaf-shaped blade that could cause horrific wounds and grooves in the handle for a better grip. X-Factors Armor:The Zulus didn't wear any body armor into battle and relied solely on their Isihlangu shields for protection against enemy weapons. The Iberians wore a short tunic and wide leather belt on their body and some had a bronze heart protector and bronze cap on their heads along with the Caetra shield. Experience:The Zulus fought other African tribes like the Ndwandwes and the Qwabes but also fought technologically advanced European forces like the Boer Commandos and British army. The Iberians actually fought for both Rome and Carthage although they fought mostly against the Romans in their own territories like Italy, Greece, and Sicily and fought other Iberian peninsula tribes. Tactics:The Zulus used offensive tactics like the "buffalo horns" formation to encircle and pin enemies with one element while the main one finished them off and one final one to reinforce the army. The Iberians would use concursare fighting to charge and retreat enemies while throwing javelins and shouting at them, supported by ambushes and guerrilla tactics to avoid full contact combat. Notes Voting ends on September 30th. Votes need edges or two paragraphs to count. The fight takes place near Carthaginian territory where the Zulus have been causing problems. The Iberians are sent in to deal with this threat and there will be 50 Impi and 50 Caetrati in this fight. Both will have a day of prep and while Shaka and Hannibal will be present in the story, they will not be present in the battle or prep so voting shouldn't include them. Battle Carthage Carthage's preparations for war against the Roman Empire had been halted for a while by the sudden attacks of a mysterious new army of attackers led by a man called Shaka. The General Hannibal had formed a small force of Iberian Caetrati mercenaries to go out and see if they could find the enemy's base. Instead, the Iberians had found a force equal in numbers to theirs and decided to wait for orders from their employer before engaging the enemy. The small force of Zulu Impi soldiers had been sent to scout the territory after King Shaka heard rumors of mercenaries being hired and protect the base. They noticed another group but followed their leader's orders and did not pursue them after they left. The Zulu were sure that there would be an army coming but instead, the same force returned and started running at them while yelling with javelins in one hand and shields in the other. "Zulu! Zulu!" The Impis shouted their own battle cries and drew Assegais with their Isihlangu shields before throwing them at the approaching enemies who took some losses from the throwing spears but the Caetra shields and bronze armor of some blocked the majority of projectiles. The Caetrati got witin Soliferrum range and unleashed a much more lethal barrage that tore through the wooden ox-hide shields with ease and the unarmored flesh of their foes with ease. Needless to say, the Zulu were shaken by the fact that most of their shields were gone but were driven into a frenzy when the Iberians began retreating and pursued them to avenge their losses. The Caetrati merely looked back and their leader nodded to make them draw slings and start firing bullets at their now much less-equipped adversaries who wound up getting broken bones and falling over if they didn't have an Isihlangu anymore and the few that did still had to witness some men getting their foreheads split open with rocks and killed. However said losses only amounted to a handful and the Impi retaliated with a barrage of Iwisas that did much less damage, the wooden clubs mostly bounced off the enemy's armor and only two poor mercenaries got the same fate that their enemies had. The Zulus and Iberians finally got within melee distance and the chaotic combat that followed actually made the tide seem like it was changing. While a couple Impis were foolish enough to utilize the Iwisa at short range, the Iklwa and Zulu Axe proved more effective than the Falcata and Gladius Hispaniensis at killing their foes despite the armor. This was made even worse as the Isihlangu was able to disarm the Caetrati of their namesake and then finish them off with a precise blow to unarmored parts. The Iberians started retreating as a couple more men held the Zulus back before being slain and retreated to a nearby valley where their opponents lost them and were then taken off-guard as a couple men wound up with hacked open heads. The Impi quickly reacted to the Caetrati's ambush and once more fought them with their best weapons but the previous losses had taken their toll and the majority of them now had to fight two enemies, a situation that resulted in them getting butchered. A couple men kept fighting with fury and one soldier with a Iklwa and Axe tore through throats and stomachs before a Gladius stabbed through his back and out his chest. The rest of the Zulu began retreating and were picked off by ranged attacks, one catching a bullet to the back of his head and another getting a Soliferrum in all of his limbs before his head was punctured. Two Impi finally faced off against the seven remaining Caetrati and one of them stabbed through an unarmored mercenary's chest with an Assegai before beating another to death with his Isihlangu before being surrounded by four men and stabbed with Soliferrums relentlessly. The leaders then stood off against each other and after a couple misses, the Falcata lopped off the Iklwa's spear point and a Caetra punch broke his foe's hand behind his shield. The Zulu quickly pulled out his Axe and caught the Iberian's blade before tearing it away and then hooked his foe's shield away. However this gave time for the Caetrati leader to pull out his Gladius and hack down on the man's forearms, literally disarming him, before disembowling him and finally splitting the Impi's head down the middle. His fellows joined him afterwards before they left the bodies there and returned back to Carthage to tell their employer the good news of their victory. What happened next is history as King Shaka was certainly not prepared for an army of armored mercenaries with cavalry and war elephants, winding up another victory of the General Hannibal. Winner:Iberian Caetrati Expert's Opinion The Zulu Impi had the better combo of blade and shield, a better secondary melee weapon, and experience against more technologically advanced foes and skirmishers but the Iberian Caetrati dominated ranged combat, had more armor to protect them, and their tactics enabled them to wear down their foes. In the end, the Zulu couldn't close the distance against the Iberians before their numbers were dwindled too much. Category:Blog posts